Chapter 56
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Slide to Unlock
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What's another way to say seppuku? Slide to unlock.
The atmosphere froze over in an instant.
Nobunaga's eyebrows twitched, and Yoshinari groped for a spear she hadn't even brought.
"...Huh."
Baek Il-yeong instinctively sensed that he was screwed and rolled his eyes. Itsuki had vanished at some point, and even Hirate Masahide had slipped into the crowd of old retainers, guided by the gut instinct honed from years in politics.
Silence fell.
Il-yeong had a hunch. One wrong move here, and he'd have to ditch the bandages he'd wrapped that morning and slide to unlock.
He worked his lips.
What to say in response—Il-yeong racked his brain faster than ever before and finally replied to the girl whose face had flushed with embarrassment.
"Miss. I truly appreciate the sentiment, but I'm thinking we should wait until you're a bit older..."
"I-I'm an adult already!"
—Ah, properly screwed.
Suggesting they think about it after she became an adult only fueled Kichō's expectations. Her hair—often called a hime cut—swayed, and the beautiful maiden—no, beauty—fixed him with a gaze trembling with shyness yet brimming with anticipation.
"...Uh, Miss. What I mean is..."
He wanted to refuse outright, but he lacked the confidence to shut it down cold. He glanced around, seeking help from the others, but all he got back were absurd mutterings from the retainers.
—It wouldn't be so bad...
—Yeah, right? Wouldn't this be a great chance to expand our influence in Mino?
—If you look at it that way, maybe...
Unlike the flustered Il-yeong and the girl purely smitten with him, the politically savvy retainers were merely calculating the gains if Il-yeong married Kichō—that is, Nohime.
Time dragged on tensely.
Just as Il-yeong was about to reluctantly voice a refusal that would hurt her feelings...
"Nohime."
A low, chilling voice echoed through the banquet hall. He turned to see the same icy gaze from the recent battlefield fixed on Il-yeong.
"Sorry, but I can't give you Hikage."
"...Pardon?"
Kichō echoed in shock, her face a mask of utter disbelief. At that moment, Yoshinari strode forward, positioning herself beside Il-yeong and looking down at Kichō.
"She's right, Miss. Il... no, Hikage can't marry."
"Why ever not...?"
Kichō repeated herself, unable to accept the words from the two women. But then Ikoma Kitsuno approached with an awkward smile and whispered something in her ear. Realization dawned on Kichō; her eyes widened, and her pale face flushed crimson.
"Th-that's..."
Thinking back, the reason Il-yeong had come to her rescue wasn't her—it was Yoshinari standing by his side. Unable to find words, she bowed her head.
"...S-sorry."
She realized her mistake.
In a fleeting moment of infatuation and impulse, she'd made everyone uncomfortable.
But in that instant.
Il-yeong looked down at Kichō, who only came up to his chest, then lowered his gaze to meet her eyes.
"Miss."
"...Yes?"
"It's truly an honor, but unfortunately, I'm not thinking of any betrothals just yet."
"...Ah."
Kichō stared blankly at Il-yeong for a moment before letting out a gasp of understanding.
"Oh, I get it. Yes!"
A glimmer of hope shone in eyes that had teared up slightly. And why not? The implication was clear:
—I can't commit right now, but you still have a shot, Miss.
Even if that wasn't true, it didn't matter.
As long as there was no fiancée, some opportunity remained.
The moment Kichō resolved herself—misinterpreting Il-yeong's intent—Yoshinari and Nobunaga rolled their eyes in their own ways, parsing his words.
No intention to marry.
'He must've said that just to calm down this immature girl.'
'...Yeah, it's too soon to make it official.'
Both thought the same.
But neither looked pleased.
They couldn't blame Il-yeong for it, so they shot glances at Kichō, who had glued herself to Ikoma's side, and thought:
Fine, we'll admit it.
She's got that petite, delicate beauty.
Short enough to stir protective instincts without trying.
Still...
'...My breasts are bigger.'
'Il-yeong's my retainer. I just won't allow it.'
Each reaffirmed her own advantages as they stared at the oblivious fool who thought he'd resolved things nicely—and sighed in relief.
The corners of his mouth lifted in relief.
His eyes crinkled into gentle arcs, blooming into a faint smile.
Damn, he's handsome.
And that's not all. If he weren't so dense sometimes, there'd be no better man.
So they let out soft sighs.
What could they do? Falling for him was their crime.
*
It didn't take long for the banquet to loosen up.
They turned the brief commotion into an appetizer, clinking cups as they chatted away.
Naturally, Il-yeong drew the most attention at the banquet. It was held to celebrate his feats in the first place, so he had to accept drinks from people whose names—and even faces—he didn't know.
Had he drunk them all, it would've far exceeded his tolerance. If he'd drunk them all, that is.
"Sorry, my wounds haven't fully healed yet..."
"I'll drink next time for sure. Please forgive me..."
Il-yeong politely declined with a practiced smile. Some pressed harder, but flashing his loosened top to reveal the wound or catching Nobunaga's gaze sent them packing.
Of course, they had no idea.
He hadn't touched the booze, but he'd had sex until his abdominal wound nearly burst.
How much time passed like that?
The banquet, which had started at evening, stretched into the small hours of dawn, the mood not just ripe but half-unhinged.
—Hahaha!
—You wench! Off with those undergarments!
This was the country that would one day be called the Kingdom of Sex. Courtesans were a given, so flirtations led to trysts in corners here and there.
Il-yeong felt the temptation a bit himself, but with his lovers holding such lofty stations, he had to hold back.
"Haa."
He hadn't drunk a drop, yet his head throbbed from the boozy air hanging thick in the room.
Il-yeong glanced toward Nobunaga and Yoshinari.
"...I see. Is that so."
Nobunaga was deep in serious talk with Ikoma Kitsuno, tilting her cup with furrowed brows.
"...Haa. Nice. Gimme more."
Yoshinari, meanwhile, was laughing and sharing drinks amid a group of female samurai she seemed friendly with.
Both were busy in their own ways.
So Il-yeong decided to take a rare solo stroll and quietly slipped out of the banquet hall.
"Ah."
The samurai on guard outside spotted him and bowed slightly; a few started to follow as escorts, but Il-yeong shook his head.
"No need. Just a quick walk."
He planned to check out the pond beside the hall. It was inside Kiyosu Castle anyway—no real worry of assassination.
"Understood."
The guards seemed to share his thinking and obediently fell back. Il-yeong breathed out a misty "Haa—" into the cool air and started walking.
He climbed the characteristic slopes of a Japanese castle, admiring the bare-branched trees. Servants and samurai he passed recognized him at once and bowed.
"Keep up the good work."
He returned the courtesy with a familiar smile. Some female servants froze in a daze, but Il-yeong paid it no mind.
How far had he walked?
Soon he reached the pond and gazed at the fish swimming beneath the thin ice.
"...Crucian carp?"
He didn't know much about fish, so it was just a casual mutter.
But then.
"They're carp."
A soft, gentle voice tinged with faint allure whispered in his ear.
He turned slightly to see a woman in neat indigo robes with long, lustrous hair. Her name sprang to mind instantly.
"...Lady Niwa?"
Niwa Nagahide.
Calling out to the woman he'd met several times before elicited a soft "Fu fu—" chuckle. She covered her mouth with a fan and stepped forward gracefully.
"Carp have those two whisker-like mustaches, but crucian carp don't."
He glanced at the pond as she spoke, spotting the fluttering mustaches through the thin ice.
That was that, but her sudden approach still flustered him. Sensing it, perhaps, Niwa Nagahide drew right up to him, about to speak in her characteristic polite yet intimate tone.
She was about to.
—Pew!
If not for the sharp twang of something slicing through the air by his ear. Was it from countless battlefields? Or pure survival instinct?
"Watch out!"
Before he could say more, Il-yeong pulled her into his arms and yanked her toward him. Their bodies tilted slowly toward the pond—
"Eh, oh my?"
With a crack!, they stared at the arrow embedded where they'd stood, then plunged through the ice into the pond below, Il-yeong clutching Niwa Nagahide tight.